


The Strong Dragon

by DaughterOfElmStreet



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: AU: Jacaerys Lives, Action/Adventure, Canon Typical Incest, Civil War, F/M, Family Drama, Fantasy/Drama, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, It’s Targaryens Folks..., Period Typical Attitudes, Period-Typical Sexism, The Dance of the Dragons | Aegon II Targaryen v. Rhaenyra Targaryen Era
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:00:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27755788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaughterOfElmStreet/pseuds/DaughterOfElmStreet
Summary: What if Prince Jacaerys had survived The Battle of The Gullet? How would things have been different for The Blacks and The Greens? How different would Westeros be if just one person had lived...and how many more would have died?Such is the Game of Thrones...
Relationships: Additional Relationships to be added, Baela Targaryen/Jacaerys Velaryon, Daemon Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen
Comments: 19
Kudos: 24





	The Strong Dragon

**Author's Note:**

> Wew! Another fic? I sure am keeping myself busy in lockdown these days! 
> 
> Basically this is a “what-if” scenario for The Dance of The Dragons if Prince Jacaerys had survived that fateful day above The Gullet. 
> 
> Ratings/warnings may change based on where I take this.

**Jacaerys I**

_The 5th Day of the 1st Moon, 130 Years After the Conquest_ :

The sea stank of ash, salt, brimstone, and terror. The sun had been shining when the battle had begun, but now it was as if a storm of smoke had swallowed the entire Gullet. Even the waves held an eerie greyish hue reflecting orange from the carnage being unleashed by the Blacks’ air forces.

But such a scene was to be expected for those who dared strike out against House Targaryen.

Only fire and blood would be accepted as payment, and there was plenty of it below Prince Jacaerys Velaryon at the current moment.

He, the Dragonseeds, and his grandfather The Sea Snake’s fleet were locked in battle with the Triarchy’s surprise war fleet. Five days ago, the Free-city ships had surprised the escort of Jace’s younger half-brothers, Aegon and Viserys, who were on their way to Pentos to fostered until the civil war’s end. They were met not 50 leagues from Dragonstone when they were surrounded by ninety warships outfitted not just to destroy other sea vessels, but to also bring down dragons from the skies. They had laid waste to the five escort ships and taken the younger of his brothers, Viserys, while brave Aegon had leaped onto his young dragon’s back and escaped.

The dragon, called Stormcloud for his murky grey coloring, could barely make it back to the shore’s edge of Dragonstone before collapsing against the sand, blood spraying out from various wounds in its belly and a scorpion bolt through his neck. Aegon had clung to the creature as he lay dying, demanding the maesters take care of the dragon before himself.

“ _He didn’t fly away because he knew I was still on the ship! He saved me! Even when they were shooting at him…_ ” the boy had sobbed miserably. “ _Save him! Oh please maester, save him!_ ”

Then finally his mother, Rhaenyra Targaryen, the true queen of the seven kingdoms, had ordered Aegon dragged from the dragon’s body to be treated as Stormcloud took his final ragged breath. Jacaerys and one of the Dragonseeds, Addam of Hull, had built a pyre for the dragon and given him proper final rights, though that did little to console Aegon when he woke the next days, still in agony from his own wounds.

He could do nothing to change the fate that had befallen his brother’s dragon, but he could do something to get revenge for his death, and that of Viserys as well, for all doubted the Triarchs had chosen to keep the boy alive after capturing him. For they too wanted revenge for a war waged against them, waged by none other than Jace’s step-father, the Rogue Prince, Daemon Targaryen.

These men thirsted for Daemon’s blood, and Viserys had been his son.

“ _Daemon never did think twice about making enemies all over the world,_ ” Queen Rhaenyra had said with tears running from her dark violet eyes. “ _And now our son has paid his debt for him...”_ Her words were cold and full of venom and anguish like she believed she would only ever feel sorrow again.

This reaction had not surprised Jace, however. For his mother had not been herself since Prince Lucerys, the eldest of his full-blooded brothers had been killed shortly after the war’s commencement by the maniacal Aemond One-Eye of their rival faction, the Greens. Before that, she had lost a baby girl called Visenya after receiving the word that her half-brother, King Aegon the Usurper, had been crowned against her late father King Viserys’ wishes. Now they were locked in a civil war for the Iron Throne of Westeros, his mother’s by birth right and therefore his own as her heir. The Greens had taken three siblings and his grandmother, Princess Rhaenys, from them already. And they would take no more.

Jace gripped the cream colored spines of his mount, Vermax, and bid him fly lower in order to get a clearer picture of the scene. With a shriek, the dragon obeyed, though with a bit of apprehension.

 _We are being hunted,_ his mount warned him through their bond that only those with the blood of Old Valyria could possess. _I can feel it. But I cannot see which is the hunter. You are not safe. My flame cannot protect us at every angle._

“I know,” Jace whispered back against the dragon’s neck. “But we have no choice. I cannot be seen as a coward by those who would die for my family’s rights!”

They descended through the haze of smoke and Jace saw that the battle was turning in their favor. Seasmoke and Addam of Hull were laying waste to a line of fire ships - if they could even be called that compared to a dragon - and Sheepstealer and Nettles were plucking the fumbling sailors out of the water like the sheep the brown dragon was used to hunting before tossing them down from high up in the air. Meanwhile, Vermithor and Hugh the Hammer and Silverwing and Ulf White were guarding the northern line alongside the Velaryon fleet, helping destroy any ships attempting to continue to advance towards Spicetown on Driftmark in the distance.

Some ships were already turning around to retreat, pulling up what survivors they could as they went. Jacaerys had ordered that ships appearing to be pulling out of the battle were not to be attacked further, and it seems the Dragonseeds had obeyed thus far.

 _War may be bloody,_ the prince thought. _But I will not go down as a cruel monster like that bastard Aemond…_

It made his blood boil thinking about that smug, vindictive excuse for a royal. He had killed his brother, Lucerys, for having saved Jacaerys by shoving a dagger into his eyes during a fight when they were all still children. This was after Jace and Luke had come upon Aemond beating their youngest brother Joffrey for no reason except having caught him sneaking out of his chambers without permission.

A petty quarrel among children turned into a bloodbath.

 _Any who support the Green Queen’s piglets are either as cruel as they are or soft in the brain!_ Jace thought bitterly.

But now was not the time for idle thoughts of his enemies. There was a battle being fought all around him; now was the time for action!

He flew towards a group of four ships that were angling themselves awkwardly towards the western line. As the prince had suspected, they were loading scorpion bolts to attempt to take out Vermithor and Silverwing in order for the Triarchy’s remaining ships to advance on Spicetown so their assault would not be deemed a complete failure.

Vermax cried out above their carved masts, turning many heads upwards, their eyes filled with dread.

Jacaerys breathed in the smoky air deeply and exhaled slowly before he gave the command: “ ** _Dracarys_**!”

And with that, Vermax unleashed his fire upon the ships. A chorus of screams and the crack of scorching wood filled the air as a blast of heart met Jace’s face. All in a row, the scorpions on the center deck were set ablaze alongside their operators and several other crew members. The floor of the deck caught on two of the ships as well, and a third’s rigging went up like a candle and set the sails and mast aflame. The fourth at the end of the line knew what was coming so many of the seamen dove into the waters of the Gullet before Vermax’s fire met their deck.

Jacaerys pulled up sharply with the last scorpion destroyed, Vermax’s taloned feet tearing great gaps in the Triarchy’s sails and they climbed. From some twenty feet above the sea the duo hovered a moment and took stock of their attack: all four ships were burning and those that had survived the assault were clambering into skiffs to row to one of several retreating ships going past.

Jace patted his dragon’s side, earning a weary purr from the beast.

 _I need to land soon,_ Vermax told the prince through their bond. _We have been in the air since before midday and soon the sun will fade-_

But the dragon’s thought was cut short by the piercing cry from the creature’s jaws. Jacaerys struggled to steady his mount as he suddenly thrashed about wildly in the air; twisting and reeling, causing the prince to nearly lose his balance. He looked over both shoulders twice before he saw what had hurt his Vermax so…

There was a grappling hook lodged into the dragon’s back left flank and a strong line of steel-wrapped rigging attached to it. Just then another sharp cry; another had been fired into the side of the dragon’s chest, just below where the wing joint was. It was a sharp silver harpoon that unfolded its needle-like feet in contact with its target, holding fast onto Vermax’s yellow and cream scales. Looking down, Jacaerys saw that one of the ships he believed to have been retreating was in fact the source of the grapples. They had used the prince’s mercy against him.

On the aft of the ship stood five men; two with dyed blue and green hair and forked beards like Tyroshi sellsails and two bald and collared like eunuch slaves from Myr. A Tyroshi held a kind of crossbow with the line to the harpoons attached while a eunuch held onto line with their giant hands. The fifth man was undoubtedly Lysene, for his hair shone like beaten silver thread even in the dreary lighting of the battle. His clothes were a deep purple with golden buttons that looked like tiny bursts of sunlight on his person. He looked to be the captain, perhaps even the captain of all the Triarchs this far west.

The captain smiled wickedly up at Jacaerys as his dragon flapped helplessly in the air. He said something to the other four men with him before walking away from them, returning to the bow. The Tyroshi set about unfastening the lines from the crossbows while Jace managed to rip the harpoon below the wingband out, though it left a gushing wound behind. It mattered little though, for when he looked back down he saw what they were doing.

The eunuchs were tying the remaining harpoon line to the ship’s large black anchor and were preparing to drop it while the Tyroshi were reloading their crossbows with standard bolts.

Realization rushed through Jace like the tide coming ashore.

 _They mean to sink us!_ he thought frantically.

“Vermax be still!” the prince barked as he twisted behind him and struggled to reach for the other harpoon bolt. But it was too far back for him to reach without falling off.

Jacaerys’ mind raced as he saw the eunuchs moving the anchor into position to drop. The Gullet’s waters were deep and the anchor was huge, definitely weighing more than Vermax. He would be pulled down under the waves to drown and Jace would be filled with crossbow bolts at such close range. The prince looked around frantically for help, but all the other dragonriders were occupied and would only realize too late he was in trouble.

Vermax wailed in terror, feeling the rush of Jace’s emotions, struggling to fly away but was held in place by the grappling hook. The dragon was too panicked to help save them; he had to think for them both. He had the idea to fly higher still, to put as much stress on the line as possible so that when the anchor dropped it might snap but…something in his head suddenly whispered for him not to.

 _Vermax is already tired,_ the voice said. _Too tired to struggle long against the anchor’s weight. You will only prolong his suffering by making him sink a bit slower. The line is rigid with steel. Only dragon fire can break it now._

 _But his flame cannot reach behind him!_ Jace argued mentally.

 _No,_ the voice said. _You must drive it through flames to break it._

Just then, Jacaerys knew what he had to do. He grabbed on tight to Vermax’s head and explained the plan to the dragon through their bond quickly. Not knowing what else to do, the dragon consented. With a pain-tinged roar, Vermax dived upon the ship.

The eunuchs were about to drop the anchor when they saw the pair descending like a comet angling towards the earth. Flames were beginning to spittle from Vermax’s jaws when they dove into the waters of the Gullet.

“ _ **DRACARYS**_!” Jacaerys screamed.

Flame melted the Tyroshi to bones before they could fire their crossbows again. Oarsmen, cannoniers, and idling bravos alike all met the same fate as Jace and Vermax came within an inch of slamming into the deck. The prince had to close his eyes as the near unbearable heat surrounded them. He let out a muffled cry through gritted teeth when what could only be an arrow sank into his shoulder, but he held tight to Vermax’s spines and did not stop the assault. Twice the dragon turned about the deck spraying his fire, until at last the harpoon line snapped from the flames.

When next Jace opened his eyes, they were gliding just above the waves.

“Bē, Vermax. Sōvegon eglikta.” he rasped to his dragon in High Valyrian. _Up, Vermax. Fly higher._

With a weary flap of his singed wings, Vermax climbed skywards once more. The ship they had been attacked from was now beginning to sink, the fire having reached all the way up the masts like candlesticks. Looking over his shoulder, Jace saw that while the harpoon was still lodged into Vermax’s flank, the line was burnt through. Just before he could give a sigh of relief, however, Vermax gave a warning cry.

Looking below, he saw a small skiff with a dozen or so men crammed into it rowing away from the flaming ship. He saw a glint of silver hair and knew the smug looking captain had made it out.

Jacaerys felt his blood run as hot as his mount’s flames. That Lysene fool had thought he could kill a dragon in the sky like hooking a fish from the sea! Tricked him into thinking they were retreating and then performed a sneak attack on Vermax!

They had already thrown away their chance at escape to deceive him. They did not deserve another.

But as Jace and Vermax moved lower to attack them...he saw that it was not just men crammed into the skiff, but a boy as well. He was not yet ten years old by the look of him, his skin pale and lilac eyes sunken in. His hair was silver golden and he clutched a queer looking ball in his lap...

“Viserys!” Jacaerys cried aloud. His little half-brother had not been slaughtered by the Triarchs as they had feared! He was alive!

But the prince dared not get closer to the skiff, for the smug captain held a stiletto blade just below little Viserys’ throat, his green eyes daring Jace to attempt anything or forfeit his brother’s life. He smiled up at the prince and the dragon all the way as they were taken aboard by another Triarch ship, the blade under Viserys’ chin all the time.

Poor Viserys could only look up helplessly at Jace and clutch his dragon egg against his chest.

Jacaerys blinked away tears as he watched his little brother he led into the cabin of the other ship. He never would have attempted to burn the previous ship had he known his little brother had been aboard. He could have killed him!

Then he would have been kinslayer...just like Aemond One-Eye.

“Jace! Your back!”

He was only vaguely aware when Addam called out to him as he flew close on Seasmoke, Nettles and Sheepstealer flying just above them. Jacaerys reached around and felt a rod sticking out from his middle back. An arrow from the fray on the ship.

“Son of a whore,” the prince muttered to himself. “Mother will throw a fit!”

“We can begin to head back!” Addam called out. “All the Triarchs are burning or retreating! Unless you want us to follow them.”

“No, let them limp home, if they can get that far…” Jace commanded. “You and Nettles head to Driftmark and assess the damages alongside my grandfather then report back. Tell Ulf and Hugh to return with me to Dragonstone.”

Addam gave a brisk nod and spurred Seasmoke on to spread the news. Jace kept looking after the ship disappearing into the horizon that contained his little brother and felt his heart sink as deep as the seawater below him. He read the name on the side of the boat before it was too far away to see; “ _The Tiger’s Bride_ ”.

“The Tiger’s Bride,” Jace whispered as he began to steer Vermax towards home. “The Tiger’s Bride...The Tiger’s Bride…”

He repeated it all the way back to Dragonstone. Today had been a day full of loss of life, his own and Vermax’s very nearly counted among the fallen. But somehow the Gods had smiled upon the Blacks and they had been victorious.

The war against Aegon the Usurper was far from over.

But today they could hold their heads high.

 _And now,_ Jace thought as he saw the Dragonmont on the horizon. _I have the chance to get Viserys back for my mother! Hold on, little brother. We will come for you!_

**Author's Note:**

> Tada! Jacaerys survives! 
> 
> So for this alternative version of The Battle of The Gullet the casualties were the following: 72 Triarchy ships lost, 20% of the Velaryon fleet destroyed, Stormcloud the dragon dead, but no dragon riders down and Spicetown and High Tide were saved from destruction.
> 
> I chose to make Addam of Hull and Jacaerys buddies since they believe themselves to be half-brothers. 
> 
> I chose to describe Vermax as looking somewhat similar to Syrax, since realistically Rhaenyra’s children would most likely have been given her dragon’s eggs. Vermax looks like how Viserion was originally depicted in the show before they got lazy with the dragon colors or a more golden version of Viserion in the books. 
> 
> The rest of the story is the butterfly effect of this moment being changed so stay tuned! 
> 
> Feel free to comment and tell me what you think of my characterization of Jace so far!


End file.
